Went out after dinner to the side of the school determined to land 10 flip tricks. A brief warm up then went in. Kickflip, fakie flip. Halfcab flip took a bit. Was 2/2 on b/s flips. Tried a bunch and I mean a BUNCH of f/s halfcab heels and could not get one. It was so frustrating and I totally blame the Vans. Got a good feeling f/s halfcab flip at least followed by first try varial flip and I thought I’d roll through these 10 tricks. But I was stalled out at 6 for a long time. I couldn’t get heelflip or fakie bigflip for quite a while, but would get them both. I landed on and almost rode away from nollie varial flip, regular varial flip and fakie varial flip but could not get them. Could not get treflip or nollie tre. Finally gave in and did a sex change. Tried to end on halfcab heel or treflip, but ultimately gave in and did a no comply flip as the last trick. I was so sore and it was getting dark.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 v-hollow with royal bushings flat top washer, bones 52mm slims 99a stf, vans half cab maroon size 11.5 nb# 272 insole)
(pain level 4/10 vulcs suck)

Biked to campus on a lethargic Sunday trying to find something fun to skate. Instead I started at the Kittridge flagstone ledge. I had biked there since our car broke down. As soon as I stepped on my board it felt so incredibly wrong. I never did anything worth note but one halfcab flip felt okay. Then I biked to a nearby curb and tried kick back tails for a while and got remotely close before ultimately sitting down in and giving up.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer, jessup ultragrip, thunder 148 hollow lights with venom 88a bushings, spitfire 51mm classic shape f4 101a, vans half cab maroon size 11.5 nb# 272 insole)
(pain level 3/10 some right knee pain)

Got out for a bit to skate on a warm day before graduation stuff would begin. I had switched setup again and did not like it. 8.3 with 149 thunders. After some warming up I started trying a line of switch front nose, halfcab flip, ollie onto the c ledge then shove off. Never got the shove. In fact ollies felt super weird and I don’t understand why. About the only thing that felt good were crooks on the metal bench. Until I start imagining shove out (the hard way) and then I couldn’t crook anymore. I did manage to finally 5-0 the cinder block ledge. It was supposed to be a 50 and it was incredibly slow, but it’s the first time since I hurt my achilles. So I may have been overall quite bummed, but that part did cheer me up.

(setup 8.3 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 149 venom 88a bushings, spitfire f4 99a classic shape 51mm, vans half cab maroon 11.5 nb# 272 insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

On a rainy night I arrived to Square House. I had been feeling a little under the weather but the session would get me feeling better. I never ended up doing a run on the ramp as Dave was getting going on the street and I joined him. There was a new bank to curb and little qp that was interesting. Both Dave and Saul fell on the kink at the bottom of the bank. We wouldn’t get a whole lot on it although the young kids that were there were able to line out a bunch of tricks. Bryan showed and we mostly lined out the new little ledge for a while which was fun. I think at one point I had a line of kickflip to fakie, halfcab noseslide, switch noseslide 270 shove. I would also get really close to noseslide 270 shove and somewhat close to halfcab noseslide 270. Bryan struggled to get his patented fakie bigspin tailslide, but when he did he added 270 shove out. Eventually the ledge session came to an end and we were lining things out. Dave had joined back, Tom was there as was Kyle. Tom had good back tails and switch back 50s. I tried a line of crooks the bump to ledge then noseslide 270 shove and still couldn’t get it. Dave was shredding did shove up the euro like 2nd try, lining out the bank to curb to bigger qp and the bank. At the end Brian watched as I could not land a slow treflip and Dave could learn noseblunt slides across the pyramid. Fun session. I’m missing a lot of the action but it feels like an eternity since I wrote it.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer, jessup ultragrip, thunder 148 hollow lights with venom 88a bushings, spitfire 51mm classic shape f4 101a, vans half cab maroon size 11.5 nb# 272 insole)
(pain level 4/10 lots of skating recently)

On another cool cloudy day I went to the Valmont extreme sports complex. There was almost no one in the skatepark side so I started there. I had changed my setup. 8.25 with thunders. As much as I have grown to hate Thunders I think this setup is most aligned with the type of skating I’d like to do. It felt really squirly and small at first, but I ended up having fun. Went in on flip tricks on the flat bank pretty quickly. Got kickflip and b/s kickflip pretty quick. Then found a decent line into it fakie finally and took too long to get fakie flip and halfcab flip. I couldn’t quite get bigflip or front heel. Then I started trying noseslides on the hip ledge and would get a few. Then started trying to do a line of back 50 the weird downhill lump qp, noseslide, kickflip on the bank. I was really close and it was fun. But after a while I gave up and moved on down to the main course.

Was stoked to see Dennis skating, it’s been a while. I struggled with flip tricks and I mostly blame my shoes for being way too big. But there was a kickflip that was so incredibly easy it made me feel happy about my setup change. I did mostly the same old stuff as I was recalibrating once again. Ollies felt good, grinds a little weak compared to the wider Ventures, flippers felt very different. I had some fun trying to 180 a parking block then fakie/switch tricks on the new plastic ledge. I also finally managed a slow front 50 on it. So nothing groundbreaking, but I did skate hard for over a couple hours and felt good.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer, jessup ultragrip, thunder 148 hollow lights with venom 88a bushings, spitfire 51mm classic shape f4 101a, new balance numeric 272 black size 12 half front insole)
(pain level 4/10 lots of skating recently)

After work on a cool day I went to the tennis court knowing the dog park would be wet. I didn’t change my setup, but I did wear cupsoles to see if they reduced pain. And they did, but at the expense of not really landing anything all session and borderline quitting. I had made a list of 10 flip tricks to try, but rather than go right into them only I tried to mix them in with lines. Like fakie flip was the first one on the list and I did it after a noseslide to fakie. But that would be the only flip trick I landed. Those shoes seriously felt terrible this time around. No board feel at all. I struggled beyond belief, but kept skating to try and force myself into something okay. I tried a few fakie nosegrind 180s on the manny pad and got remotely close, but no cigar. Tried a line of halfcab noseslide the ledge, rock fakie the new wood qp then f/s halfcab noseslide. Never got the last trick and struggled way too much with halfcab noseslide. There were a couple other guys there. One was pretty good, the other just learning to ollie and man he took some hard slams and kept going. I had a couple crooks, couldn’t get a front 50, felt like garbage. The kind of session that makes me question everything.

(setup 8.3 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast plate titanium hanger, royal bushings no big washer flat top washer, 51mm spitfire 99a f4 classic shape washers on the outside, new balance 425 black/gum size 11.5 front insole)
(pain level 4/10)

After watching a good BATB finally I wanted to skate some flatground. But I was quite sore from the marathon of skating the day before. I went out to the school in the 212s again and proceeded to not land anything. In about an hour of skating I really only took away that I landed a first try f/s halfcab flip and was 3/3 on backside flips. Other then that it was terrible.

After some lounging I ended up at dog park with Rob. Dustin and Xander were there. As were a crew of youth doing dumb things like tagging and Rob and I got to be the grouchy old guys complaining. It seemed to get Rob going though and he was ripping. It’s hard to remember the difference in the previous day. But more long lines with nose manuals, manuals, back 50 back 180, halfcab back 50, halfcab board the tall bench, front board it and a lot more. It was fun chatting with Dustin and Xander and watch them do tres and nollie tres. I was wearing 272s this time around that felt way too large for me and cushiony in a way that seemed to suck up my pop. I managed a line of switch nose shove then ollie on and kickflip off the c ledge. Also a couple crooks on the new plastic ledge that felt good.

(setup 8.3 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast plate titanium hanger, royal bushings no big washer flat top washer, 51mm spitfire 99a f4 classic shape washers on the outside, new balance 212/272)
(pain level 5/10 haven’t felt vulc pain in a while ouch)

On a limited time frame I went to dog park to meet Rob, Cass, Sean and Paul. We started in the park. I was adjusting to a couple changes. Vulc 212s and a smaller deck. The shoes were too big and with the smaller board felt super odd. I tried to do 5 flippers on the bank. But I only got kickflip fakie, b/s flip and kind of a big flip. I couldn’t make the board to a varial flip. Oh and Sean and I both got no comply pole jams 2nd try.

At the dog park it was a decent session. Rob was in demo mode when I got there. Back 50 no comply back shove out, halfcab back 50 back 180 out (trusting him on this one hee hee), manuals, nose manuals, halfcab board the tall bench, front board it. I filmed Cass do a front board on old piece of junk flat bar so I remember him doing that, but can’t think of other tricks right now. He was doing some filming with his super 8 which was cool. Sean was doing Sean things. Basically everything looking perfect at high speeds. The back 5-0 front 180 was my favorite. Paul had a bunch of cool slappies in all directions. Oh Cass and Paul were learning fakie back 50s then Paul learned fakie crooks like it was nothing. I skated pretty average. Did a new trick on the little ledge. Nollie front tail front shove out. Totally perfect ha. Near the end I the little Natas stall on the cone and got two shoves on it.

After lunch with my mom and some lounging I went up to Lyons to meet Dave and Billy on the Rampitheater. I had a new christmas complete. 8.3/5.8/51. It felt alright, but my shoes still felt too large. The ramp was crazy. There was a super small section then a taller section with different heights. I took forever to do a f/s halfcab rock. Then lined it out with front tail which I haven’t done in forever. Couldn’t get a kickflip on the transition. Dave beat Billy’s son Brook in a game of SKATE. It was pretty funny. Brook is young and super motivated and was trying hard and isn’t afraid to ask a lot of questions. It’s cool. It’s funny actually both his kids were into old school skating like Billy. And all decked out in full safety gear. Billy ripped it. He would throw in some tricks out of nowhere like a little invert, blunt fakie yank in, front d, 5-0s. Dave had lots of fakie/nollie/switch pops and almost got a nollie bigspin. Good times and a fun adventure seeing some elk and deer on the way home.

(setups UGH 8.25/8.3 5.8 cast/titanium 51mm, new balance numeric 212 size 12 272 insole)
(pain level 3/10)